Bandari

[En]On the southeast coast of Iran is the city of Minab (province of Hormozgan) where every Thursday , for centuries, is held the largest market, " Panjshambe bazaar " gathering all the merchants of the Persian Gulf region .

The unique lifestyle of the Bandaris (literally " those of the port" ) stands out amid the colorful atmosphere where you can find all styles of clothing from India or Africa , Arab or Persian ancient .

Men wear a turban they rotate around their heads like ancient sailors. Women, meanwhile, wear the curious red mask called " bandari burqa " . This mask covers their niqab ( veil covering the face except the eyes) or their simple hijab ( veil that leaves the face visible ) . A clothing tradition that dates back to the Portuguese occupation in the sixteenth century . Women’s settlers wore it to protect themselves from the sun and to keep their white skin. This ethnic distinction shows that these women are married. However, despite all preconceptions , they manage their own business, smoke , talk and move independently of men who appear to be their equal in the Panjshambe bazaar

I'm trying to show through this series of photographs, the women’s attachment to their traditions in this region that is a strip of land which is only 300 kilometers wide. They speak the Minabi, which is a dialect between Baluchi and Farsi, and very rarely spoken. Their dress codes , despite the changing mores, have adapted despite an ever-increasing globalization in Iran.